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Jan Ellis pudding or Malvapoeding?

What are the main differences between Jan Ellis Pudding and Malvapoeding?

A Pudding by Any Other Name would Taste as Sweet!

Although Malvapoeding (Malva pudding) and Jan Ellis pudding are very similar, Malvapoeding seems to be served as traditional fare at restaurants in South Africa. Its origin is uncertain as the word “malva” means geranium or mallow and “malvalekker” means marshmallow. None of these words describe the texture or flavor of this dessert. Perhaps it was named after a dessert wine, “Malvasia”, which would possibly have been served with this dessert during colonial times.

Jan Ellis was a famous South African rugby player in the 1960s and ‘70s, and Jan Ellis pudding is evidently a great favorite of his.

These desserts are both cake-like in texture and steeped in a rich sauce that is poured over the hot tart when it is removed from the oven. There are minor differences in the ingredients that influence the end product in both texture and flavor.

Jan Ellis pudding uses baking powder (or self rising flour) as a raising agent. The baking soda in the recipe gives added flavor and a slightly darker color. There is no vinegar in this recipe.

In Malvapoeding the baking soda reacts with the vinegar in the recipe which then acts as a raising agent.

The relative proportions of ingredients also differ.

The sauce is rich in both cases. Whereas most of the calories come from cream in Malvapoeding, they are from butter in Jan Ellis pudding.

Mix in the milk and jam and then fold in the dry ingredients until well mixed.

Scrape into a 2-quart capacity ovenproof dish and bake at 350˚F for 30-35 minutes until done.

Mix the sauce ingredients in a saucepan and bring to the boil, while stirring.

Simmer for about 3 minutes and pour the hot sauce over the pudding as soon as it is taken from the oven.

Loosen the edges of the pudding so that the sauce can seep into the base. The sauce will eventually all be absorbed, even though it initially appears that there is far too much of it!

Notes

All these traditional baked desserts that are steeped in syrup (e.g., Malvapoeding, Jan Ellis pudding and Tipsy Tart) should be well baked through before the sauce is added. Rather bake a few minutes longer to avoid a moist center, as a moist tart will turn gummy when the syrup is added. The Malvapoeding and Old Cape brandy pudding (Tipsy Tart) recipes can be found in our books, South African Cooking in the USA and Essential South African Cooking in the USA: 25 Traditional Recipes.

Reader Interactions

Comments

This is interesting – thank you for explaining the difference. Wondering if Malvapoeding is a relatively “new” pudding? It is often labeled as “traditional”, but it does not appear in any of my older traditional South African recipe books. BTW love your book!

Thank you, Heleen. There is no consensus on the origin of Malvapoeding apart from it being of Dutch origin. There is no telling how long it has actually been around in its present form – also why it doesn’t appear in any of the really old cookbooks. All we know is that it has become a favorite ‘traditional dessert’ in many restaurants.

Leon, if you brown the butter (google how to do this because you can easily burn it or not brown it enough) in the Jan Ellis or Malvapudding recipe you get a caramel-ish taste 🙂 It does change the texture somewhat.

Can any one tell me, my mom use to make a pudding, same texture and I’m not sure but always thought it was jan ellis but had a more caramel/condencemilk taste. What was this? Was it a sauce she made? Please I have been looking for this a few years now.

I made this Jan Ellis pudding for my South African boyfriend for a special dessert. It was delicious, and he said it reminded him of his family’s recipe growing up. Thanks for providing this thoughtful recipe.

Thank you for your comment, Al! I agree that this is not a Malva pudding.
The purpose of this post was to illustrate the similarities and differences between the two desserts…..”Jan Ellis pudding uses baking powder (or self rising flour), whereas Malvapoeding uses baking soda, and Malvapoeding contains vinegar, whereas Jan Ellis pudding does not. The relative proportion of ingredients also differs”.
The recipe in this post is for a Jan Ellis pudding. The Malva pudding recipe is in our book, “South African Cooking in the USA” as well as in our e-book, “Essential South African Cooking in the USA: 25 Traditional Recipes”.

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